


36 Questions

by addison78



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 36 questions, Angst, Based on 36 Questions (Podcast), Breaking Up & Making Up, Fake Identities, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, How Do I Tag, M/M, Recording, Video Cameras, implied break up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:54:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29572065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addison78/pseuds/addison78
Summary: Akaashi had been lying to his now ex-fiance since the day he met him.So, In a last-ditch attempt to salvage their crumbling relationship, a couple uses the 36 questions—an experiment known for making strangers fall in love—to save their own relationship.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. Burning Away The Past

There were about a hundred pictures and videos of him and Bokuto in his camera roll. But now it may be time to delete them since that's a normal thing to do after a relationship ends, Akaashi guesses. _Is_ it the normal thing to do? And did their relationship end? Akaashi had a lot of questions...But Bokuto probably had more.

Three years ago, it started off with a simple lie. His name, and then it evolved into more. When Bokuto came up to him, confident and beautiful, Akaashi panicked in the heat of the moment. Blurting out a fake name. And as their conversations continued, he kept on lying, about a lot. He made it seem as if he had a perfect life for this perfect man. Of course, he was still Akaashi, just with a different name, age, and entire identity really. But his personality was the same, it always has been. But Bokuto was dating Akihiro, the perfect man Akaashi had come up with on the spot. The man with deceased parents, the man that was born in 1987, not 1988. The man who Akaashi isn't.

Akaashi knew he was in far too deep, and he was growing in these lies. So he confessed.

* * *

Akaashi holds his phone out in front of his hand. He's sitting in the seat of his car, the view from the windows shows nothing but empty roads and trees to his right. "My name, my _real_ name is Akaashi Keji, and I've been lying to my husband since the moment we've met." He went silent, staring down at his shoes. "It's been...two weeks since we "broke up" and I've kind of lost myself since." Akaashi started moving, unbuckling his seat belt. "I lied to him for two years." The car door opens and Akaashi gets out, the wind blowing his hair back.

Akaashi turned the camera around, he showed off a large home, one fit for a family of ten maybe. He knew Bokuto would be here, repairing his old childhood home, courtesy of his mothers. The house looked to be around two floors, it's a large brick home with white borders on the ends of the roof and on the siding of the house. Large white pillars by the front porch stayed their bright color, even though many of the surrounding areas were covered with moss. The house was old, it didn't take a rocket scientist to see it.

"It's July 28 2017 and I'm explaining literally everything to Bokuto, that is, if he answers the door when he knocks. Oh, and the time is 6:03 PM." He turned the camera back around as he stepped up the single step onto the porch. He hesitates as his finger presses the doorbell. The echo of it ringing multiple times can be heard in the video.

"He's not answering..." Akaashi deadpans, talking aloud to his phone. He never knew when his obsession with recording this constantly started, it just did. It was good memories he could look back on.

He rings the doorbell again, his eyes squinting while he shifts over to the side of the door where a long window is, he looks in. The house definitely didn't look too empty, with a few things on the ground and some tools. Not to mention the sound of a drill going off from the inside, a dead giveaway that Bokuto is in fact inside.

"Please just open the door! I know you're in there!" His voice even sounded desperate. "You know that drill isn’t going to save you! If anything it's kind of creepy how much you're using it.."

Everything went silent for a bit, but Akaashi kept filming, his phone now down near his waist. The thumping of heavy feet on the floor broke the silence as it grew louder.

As Bokuto opened up the front door, Akaashi stepped back a bit, common courtesy. He fiddled with the ring on his finger, twisting it around with his thumb.

"Oh, well if it isn't Akih-aashi." Bokuto quickly changed the name. He slipped up, which was understandable considering the sight he was faced with was one he'd been calling Akihiro for the past three years. Bokuto's hair was half up and down, a layer of sweat covered it but he still looked- so damn good.

"Remodeling and cleaning up your childhood home, how considerate of you."

Bokuto held back a smile. "Well yeah, mom's said they'd like to stay here again for a bit at one point, probably for vacation or something." He sighed. "Cut to the chase, Akaashi." He got the name right this time. "What is it you want from me?"

"Well probably the same thing you want from me, just different ones. Answers."

"I really don't think you're in the position to be asking any questions."

"I really think you're right about that Bokuto." He slyly said, standing still outside of the Akaashi held by his side. "Definitely recording. Of course." Bokuto walks further into the house, signaling Akaashi to come in.

"Look, I want to answer all of the questions you have, okay? Just- wait here." The younger says, leaving as soon as he got there, running out to his car to grab something.

"Leaving as soon as he gets here." Bokuto mumbles, leaning against the countertop.

Akaashi runs out to his car, his mind going crazy. He’d come up with this plan on a whim like three days ago and surprisingly it went well, Bokuto opened up the front door at least, which seemed well in itself.

At first, he was scared. Maybe Bokuto wouldn't open the door, maybe he really didn't love Akaashi anymore. The lies Akaashi made that had piled up might have been it for Bokuto.

But alas if Bokuto didn't still love him he wouldn’t have opened that door up, he would have continued drilling into nothing. His defense and distance towards Akaashi wouldn't stop him.

He searched his car frantically, looking for the folder that had been beside the center console of his car the entire time, Akaashi wondered how he missed it.

Akaashi comes running back in, a sealed yellow folder in his hands, holding it out to Bokuto with a smile.

"What is this?"

"Do you have lighter fluid?" Akaashi ignores the question, replacing it with his own as he walks around the house in search of lighter fluid that would just be randomly around the house for whatever reason.

"Check the garage” Bokuto's voice wasn’t full of energy like it used to be, which Akaashi understood. It was his turn to be the one to carry on the conversations, and it was Bokuto’s turn to be the relaxed one.

“Ah, right. I’ll be right back.” And with that Akaashi ran out into the garage, going straight to the white door with a black handle, it looked like it could've been a garage door, but as he opened it, it revealed itself to just be a closet.

Bokuto laughed a bit, mouth almost fully closed as he tried to conceal his laughter.

“Rude!”

“The garage door is the white door with a gold handle, second door to your left.”

Akaashi turned on the ball of his heel. “So I wasn’t even in the right direction.” he hummed, going over to the actual garage door.

Bokuto listened to the shuffling in the garage, and the sound of Akaashi cursing as he dropped something on his foot, a weight or something, Bokuto had presumed.

He walked mindlessly around his kitchen, he knew Akaashi could be unpredictable on occasion, but that wasn't Akaashi, that was Akihiro. The man he met one day at a wedding of one of their mutual friends. Truthfully, Bokuto didn't know how he let himself get tricked for so long. He knew so much about this fake person, and nothing about the real one.

Walking back into the main kitchen area with a white 12-ounce bottle of lighter fluid. “Can we go outside for this?” He asked, holding up both the folder and bottle.

Bokuto turned his head a bit in confusion.

“So we don't burn your childhood house down.”

Bokuto’s mouth made an ‘o’ shape as he nodded his head, tAkihirong initiative to lead Akaashi to the balcony that looked over a wide-open backyard with healthy green grass and some trees surrounding the property line. 

Akaashi stepped down onto the grass first, the yellow folder tucked safely under his arm and lighter fluid in the same arm. And then his phone, still recording but on its last couple of minutes was held in his other hand.

He sighed. “All right.” He held out the yellow folder to Bokuto, who was leading them down to an open patch of green grass where he signaled Akaashi to sit down.

“What is this?” Bokuto takes the folder.

“That is Akihiro Mori.” Bokuto opens up the folder. “All of the fake IDs, the fake files. Everything.” His hand digs into the folder, pulling up a few files that he didn't care to read. But they all had the name Akihiro Mori written on them.

Akaashi, watching Bokuto’s hesitant and unsure look, reached into the pocket of his pants, pulling out an ID card, a real one. The name Akaashi Keji is written on it. His real name, age, everything. He handed it to Bokuto, whose eyes were a bit wider than normal.

“In case you needed proof that this-” He gestured to himself. “Is really real, here's my actual ID.” Bokuto grabbed it from him, inspecting it for a bit before humming, satisfied, and handing it back to Akaashi, who put it back in his pocket.

“So I assume you're burning this?” He holds up the yellow folder that's now sealed again.

Akaashi shook his head. “No, _you're_ burning it.”

Bokuto hesitated, his eyes focused on the paper he held. His whole life felt like a lie and burning this may be one of the first steps back. But does he want to go back? “Then you’ll pour the fluid on it, team effort.” He held out the folder.

Akasshi hummed, and Bokuto didn't miss the small smile on his face. He watched as he poured lighter fluid out of the small nodule, it covered the sealed folder, turning the yellow color to more of a burnt orange. It was enough to lather even the inside with lighter fluid. The cards, the papers, everything would be gone soon enough.

“Ah, do you have a lighter?”

“Crap, we totally forgot to grab one! There's one in one of the junk drawers. I'll go grab one.” Bokuto’s voice held more enthusiasm, it sounded happier.

Bokuto gets up quickly, leaving Akaashi outside, holding up the soaked folder out in front of him while he waits for Bokuto to grab a lighter.

He spaced out, staring down at the grass allowing himself to stop and think for once. Should he really ask Bokuto about doing the questions? After everything, he’s already done today? Question after question flooded his mind like an uncontrollable tsunami, he didn't even realize when Bokuto was calling out his name, his _real_ name.

“Akaashi?” Snapped back into reality, Akaashi’s eyes focused after a few seconds. He stared down at Bokuto’s feet, and he remained silent while Bokuto sat down criss-cross.

Akaashi gasped when he finally focused his mind and body. He wordlessly held out the soaked folder to Bokuto, watching as some droplets of lighter fluid dropped down onto the grass.

“Yeah, I think I may have gone a bit overboard with the lighter fluid.”

Bokuto chuckled, picking up the white light off of the grass before suddenly stopping in his tracks. “We should probably stand up in case something goes wrong.”

“You're probably right!” Akaashi laughed, and Bokuto savored it.

They both stood up, and Bokuto didn't hesitate to allow his finger to go down on the slow pocket lighter, a flame immediately sparking up. Akaashi had left a good portion of the folder dry just to be safe when lighting it aflame, but the other parts were dripping.

Bokuto started moving the lighter closer, and eventually, the folder caught fire. Everything inside burning away along with this person Akaashi had created years back. Hopefully, this would be the start of something new.

The ashes blew in the wind as the two laughed, and soon enough the entire folder and all of its contents were gone.

“Now, what do you say we go do the 36 questions?”

Bokuto groaned, and Akaashi totally understood why. “This time, for real. I’ll show you everything, and I’ll tell you everything.”

Bokuto thought for a minute. “Everything?”

“Everything.” Akaashi smiled.

The pair went silent for a moment, allowing themselves to take in what had just happened and what was about to happen. 

But a raindrop falling on Akaashi’s nose was all it took to break the comfortable silence. “It’s raining…” He said, quietly not even sure if Bokuto heard him, he wouldn't have an issue either way although it would be helpful if he did so they could go inside.

Bokuto laughed. “That happened quickly, just a bit ago it was clear skies and bright sun.”

The raindrops fell faster and heavier. “We should go inside.”

“That we should!” Bokuto laughed.

Quickly running up the wetting wooden stairs, their hands over their heads to keep from getting too wet, they laughed. For that instant, the pair forgot all about why Akaashi was here, they forgot about everything.

They stepped inside quickly, their shoes now soaking wet, the only sounds the two were making were their pants, all the other noise was thanks to the now pouring rain.

Akaashi groaned. “My shirts soaked…”

Without hesitance, Bokuto replied. “You can go borrow one of mine,”

The other's head peaked up a bit, hands holding out the wet shirt letting mall droplets fall on the carpet. “Wheres your clothes?”

“Go up the stairs, first door to your left.”

“Right, thanks.”

  
  
  


The younger one went down the stairs quickly, he decided on borrowing one of Bokuto’s crewnecks that was definitely a few sizes too big on him but fit perfectly on Bokuto.

Sighing in content with his now clean shirt, he got right to the point. “I want to do the 36 questions with you, and I _want_ to tell the truth. No altering anything to make me seem like a better person.” He looked at his phone, dead. “But first I’m going to need a charger.”

Bokuto took a moment to think. “Well I,” He paused for a second. “ I don’t know which outlets are working right now.”

“Well, only one way to find out right?”

“Right.”

  
  
  


* * *

A new recording begins, Akaashi’s in a dark room seemingly, the only light source being his phone. All that can be seen is some features of Akaashi’s face and a few hanging clothes hanging from above. “Well the only working outlet is in Bokuto’s closet, so I am quite literally in the closet.” he sighed. “But I’m going to do the 36 questions with him, and I'm going to make sure everything goes well.” Akaashi takes a moment to think, the sounds of hangers hitting each other and his breathing is the only sounds in the video. “I don’t know how this is working out so well, I’m basically a pathological liar, and Bokuto’s just going along with it anyway.” The sarcasm in his voice adamant. “My phone's 55%, it’s good enough I'm going back downstairs.” and then the recording ends.

Bokuto knew that maybe letting a pathological liar back into his life after only like 2 wells was definitely a bad idea. He was aware it was self-destructive and stupid but he couldn’t help but feel powerless against Akaashi. And yet he let him back in so easily, he was lied to for 3 years about huge things, and Akaashi had gone as far as to fake records to keep his lie up. And yet he couldn't find it in him to be super angry at him like he should be.

The smell of garlic bread and pasta filled Akaashi’s nose as he went down the stairs, his phone in his pocket, shut off, and hand grazed the railing. For a minute, Akaashi felt like everything was normal.

Bokuto turned his attention away from the oven, and to Akaashi. “Hey,” he spoke.

The other couldn't help but let his lips curl up a bit. “Hey.”

Akaashi helped Bokuto finish preparing and plating the meals, they made small talk while doing so. Bokuto had not forgiven Akaashi, no, they were still far from that point, but he’d started to slowly understand him, just a bit more.

“Alright, I suppose we should get started, shouldn't we?”

“Yeah, we should. I’ll pull up the questions.” The older said, pulling out his phone. The two were sitting across from each other at a small dinner table made for two, tonight would be the night where everything was repaired.

“Okay” Bokuto dragged the word out. “Question one, given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?”

“Who do you think?” Akaashi immediately asked afterward.

Bokuto took a moment to think before answering. “Haruna Kojima.”

“No,” Akaashi answered

“Uh, Naomi Watanabe?.”

“No again.”

“Crap, Michelle Obama?”

Akaashi laughed, “Nope!” 

Bokuto went silent for a minute before confessing “I- I have no idea really.”

“Oh, c’mon Bokuto. My answer hasn't changed, I didn't lie about absolutely everything. You know me, Akaashi Keji better than you think. There are things I lied about but I have the exact same personality as this Akihiro person I told you I was. There's things that have changed and a hell of a lot that hasn’t.”

“Oh, well then, me.” Bokuto answered, his voice sounding more confident now.

“And I’m going to go out on a whim here and say it’s still me, right?”

Bokuto stuffed his mouth full of food to stop himself from agreeing.

  
  



	2. Our Truth

A new recording begins, this time a voice memo. “It’s 9:03 PM and Bokuto has in fact not kicked me out of his childhood home.”

Bokuto’s voice chimes in from the background. “Only because I still want to know more about what’s going on here! Oh, and you’ve had alcohol!”

“Ask me question two.”

“Question two, would you like to be famous? In what way?” Bokuto yells, his voice echoing as heard in the voice memo.”

“Ah no.” Akaashi answers.

“No, what?” 

“No, I would not like to be famous.”

“Okay. Why not?” The sounds of dishes clashing together can be heard in the voice memo, clashing, but not breaking. It was easy to tell that Bokuto was doing the dishes, and Akaashi is cleaning up the table.

“Well, that’s not really in the question.” The younger replies.

“Yeah, but you should probably extrapolate anyways.”

“Why? That’s like extra credit in the question.”

Bokuto sighs. “Because I just got out of a relationship where honesty was kind of an issue, so I’m really just looking for someone who has an open book.”

Ouch.

“I am an open book, you just so happened to open up to the page where I get asked the question whether or not I'd like to be famous and I answered in two words: No, thanks.”

“That’s the bare minimum. Which is very strange for a first date-” Bokuto quickly cut himself off, Akaashi couldn’t see him with his head turned, but he could tell he was probably flustered. “Or not a- not a- well not a first- whatever this is.” His voice is unable to stay collected.

“Mhm, yeah mhm, I hear you.”

“So want to hear my answer?” Bokuto quickly responds.

“Of course!” Akaashi chimes through.  
  


Bokuto clears his throat. “I’d like to be famous for reforming the education system- or winning the bachelor or bachelorette.”

Akaashi laughed. “Really?”

“Really!” Bokuto laughed with him. “Now that’s an answer, it tells you something about me.”

“Noted. I’ll take initiative and answer all of the odd-numbered questions and you take the even ones.”

“I’m okay with that,” Bokuto replied.

“So question three, “before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?”.” 

“I only rehearse what I’m going to say if it’s a call where I have to speak Spanish.”

“I do not rehearse my calls.”

Bokuto hums, “And now you say why.”

“Oh right!” Akaashi laughs. “Because I just don’t? I normally have an idea of the topic that I’m talking about within the call.” They stay silent for a few seconds until Akaashi breaks that silence, his voice sounds small. “See? Most of these answers are going to be the same as the first time we did these questions.”

Shrugging that off, Bokuto spoke again, this time his voice is more clear, obviously closer to Akaashi. “Question four, what would constitute a “perfect” day for you?”

“What do you think my answer is?”

Bokuto let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know what I like?”

“Well, I know what you _did_ like. What Akihiro liked.”

“It’s the same, Bokuto. That’s my point here. I didn’t lie about everything, Akihiro and I, both like the same things, we have almost identical personalities.” Bokuto had a skeptical look on his face, unable to be pointed out by Akaashi as he spoke. “We both enjoy drinking hot tea even on hot days, we both enjoy empty cafes, we both like listening to you rant about the bad plot of bad movies, we both sometimes forget our cards at a bar. None of that's changed, along with a billion other things.” Akaashi listed.

Bokuto, seemingly unconvinced from the Akaashi point of view, stayed silent. “Do you remember what I said that day? The first time we did the questions? My answer is still the same.”

He took a moment to think before speaking, something he’s more aware of nowadays. “You said tomorrow can be the perfect day if we let it be. And you still go by that, don’t you.”

“That’s right.” The silence between the two after that was instant, but quickly broken by Akaashi. “Your answer was a picnic with your mom’s and siblings, perfect warm weather- but not too warm, and no mosquitos. You’d all talk and catch up with each other, and play old board games.”

“I’m surprised you still remembered all of that.”

“You’d be surprised about a lot of things.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Question five! When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?” Akaashi rather quickly reverts.

Bokuto thinks for a minute. “Well the last time I sang to myself was before you got here, and the last time I sang to someone else was probably two months ago, it was you and me, in the car.”

Akaashi smiles, “you’re a filthy liar! You were singing to yourself earlier when you were getting out the ingredients for dinner!”

Bokuto smiles back, just humming in response. “What about you?”

“Last time I sang to myself was on the way here in the song, and last time I sang to someone else was I think last month when we were making breakfast.”

“Question 6, If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?” Bokuto asks.

“I’d keep the body of a 30-year-old without a doubt, I’d still be able to do everything and I’d have all the knowledge I’ve gained, it’s a two in one.” He happily replied to Bokuto, his voice full of confidence, leaving Bokuto more reassured it was the truth. “What about you? The mind of a 30-year-old or body?”

“I don’t know actually, maybe mind because I think it would be funny to see a grandpa not give two shits about anything.” Bokuto’s reply caused a few minutes of laughter, good, pure, laughter.

After a while, they continued.

“Question 7 do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?” Akaashi asks, his eyes staring directly into Bokuto’s, he’d always been a big person on eye contact-but just with Bokuto.

“Oh no, do you?” He replies.

“Also no!”

“Question 8 names three things you and your partner appear to have in common. For this one, we should take turns naming things one after the other, but no repeats.”

“We both enjoy tea more than coffee, but we’ll have the occasional cup.” Akaashi starts.

“We both hate Sundays just for the sole fact that the next day is Monday.”

Akaashi smiles, “We both…” he takes a minute before finishing his sentence. “We both like watching bad rom coms to make fun of them.”

Bokuto groans, running his fingers through his hair. “You stole mine!” 

Akaashi laughs, “You got it, think of another one quick.”

Bokuto puts his finger up like he’s thought of something. “We both have a habit of ordering the same thing at every restaurant no matter what!” 

“The last one for me, we both have a bad habit of getting up either really early or really late.”

A smiling smile appears on Bokuto’s face, one Akaashi doesn’t miss. “We both enjoy picnics!”

“Great okay, question 9 For what in your life do you feel most grateful?”

“My moms for sure, they don't hesitate to call me out but lovingly, they helped me through everything,” Bokuto responded.

“Even the situation with me?”

“Yeah…” The two go silent after that, the only noise is the tapping of Bokuto’s finger on the table.

“I’m grateful for my best friend, he really helped me out.” Akaashi finally breaks the horribly uncomfortable silence.

Bokuto turns his head a bit to the side, eyes wide looking kind of like a puppy. “Who?”

“My best friend.”

“No I mean-” Bokuto cuts himself off laughing, Akaashi followed soon after.

“Question 10! If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?” He continues with the questions.

Akaashi thinks for a minute. “I would probably want my parents to be more present, then maybe I wouldn't have grown up so independent for so long. I get that independence is good and all but sometimes it’s lonely.”

Bokuto nods his head before speaking. “I wish my parents would have raised me to be less trusting.”

“Less trusting?” Akaashi questioned.

Bokuto scoffed, “yeah.”

Akaashi hums in response.

“Number 11 Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible.”

Akaashi took a short breath. “Uh you know I grew up in Okasa in a family of 3, just me my mom and dad, moved to Tokyo when I was 12. My parents were barely there so I basically raised myself, I taught myself how to cook, clean, shave, do everything. I played volleyball throughout high school but stopped in Uni.” 

He took a second to breathe. “I was valedictorian of my 3rd-year class and was accepted into the University of Tokyo, moved out of my house as fast as I could, and double majored in Business and Accounting. I got a part-time job at a cafe on campus and stayed there throughout University graduated from University and took up a job in Osaka right out of Uni, worked at an accountants office for a while, and I hated it, so I quit and got a new job back here in Tokyo, it’s the one I have right now as an accountant, you know.”

“I met you and started an entire chain of lies that carried on for years, and then I decided on a whim to try and fix this and now where here...So…” Once Akaashi stopped, he caught his breath, finally.

“You have a minute left, keep telling me more, even minor details.”

Akasshi nodded his head. “The first time I got drunk was when I was 16 at a house party, I ended up riding home with 3 random other drunk people- I was okay though. I would always get sick as a child, I caused my parents a lot of money in hospital bills, but it’s something I've grown to overcome. I was always an introverted kid with no friends so no one missed me much at school.” He inhaled. “And I don't have anything else, you know a ton of the other minor details. Was that too much or- not enough? Did I even answer the question fully?

“Yeah you’re good.” a voice mumbled.

When Akaashi looked back up into Bokuto’s eyes he couldn't help but feel an inexplicable amount of guilt. Akaashi had lied about so much. Bokuto didn’t know he grew up in Osaka, he didn’t know Akaashi had worked in Osaka, he didn’t know how absent his parents really were.

“And I’m still so, so sorry, Bokuto.”

“That’s the truth, right?”

“Yeah, it is…” Akaashi looked at Bokuto straight in the eyes, his lips curling up into a small smile. 

“Akaashi.” Bokuto finally said. “Akaashi I’m sorry. I’m sorry your parents left you for yourself basically, it wasn’t fair.”

“Yeah well, you don’t get to choose.” He spoke out in response to Bokuto’s un-needed apology.

“Now,” Akaashi spoke, “tell me your truth, your story.

“Well, I grew up in a family of 5, two moms and 2 sisters, me as the only guy in the family. My mom's were really overbearing when it came to me, the youngest. They taught me everything and sometimes wouldn't get off my back if I made a mistake. I had a pretty happy childhood, I led neighborhood marches for no reason and had an obsession with sidewalk chalk. I love my family but sometimes they were just all perfectionists. I felt like the black sheep of the family for years until I learned how to express myself, which took a while.”

“I played volleyball in high school too, carrying on in college. I graduated from Waseda University and majored in education. I always wanted to be a teacher and then I became one. And then I met you, you asked me if you could pet my dog, I said yes, and you did. Then I told you it wasn’t actually my dog, it was my friends, you laughed and we introduced ourselves. I proposed to you, then broke it off after finding out my whole life was a lie, and now we're here, doing the 36 questions for real this time.”

Bokuto cleared his throat, causing Akaashi’s breath to hitch as he’s snapped back into reality... “Anyways, question number 12 If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?”

“I’d like to have the ability to shapeshift don’t ask me why I don't know!”

Smiling a bit, Bokuto spoke. “Going off the superhero theme I'm saying I'd like to fly, like a bird and I also don't know why.”

The two shared laughter before the next question.

“Question number 13 If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future, or anything else, what would you want to know?”

“Oo okay I’d like to know if my capacity to forgive will be my downfall.” The older quickly responded, his posture now straight and perfect as he sits across from Akaashi.

“Okay and I'd like to know the future for no reason, I just think it would be cool to know.”

“Alrighty, question 14 we’re going quickly here! The question is Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?”

“Yeah, I’ve always dreamt of doing something ambitious like skydiving or something!”

“Wait, I'm changing the answer I was going to give because that sounds fun.” Akaashi laughs at Bokuto’s response, and Bokuto soon follows.

“Number 15 What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?” Akaashi asked this question.

“Paying off all my debt!” Bokuto says loudly, almost yelling actually.

The younger smiled, “me too.”

“Alright question number 16 What do you value most in a friendship?” The older asks.

“Reliability.

“For me, honesty.”

“Right.” Akaashi sighed.

Right before Akaashi was going to ask the next question, he was interrupted by Bokuto. “We should go somewhere and answer the questions, it’ll make things more fun.” 

“Like where?”

“There's a beach like 3 miles down the road.” 

“Are you sure? I’d be okay staying here.” 

“Positive, plus this is the least you could do right now.” Akaashi couldn’t tell if Bokuto was teasing him or not with that response.

With a groan, Akaashi got up from his seat.

Then the voice memo stopped.

  
  
  
  
  


A new recording starts, Bokuto’s hair is blowing back in the wind and his voice is a bit muffled, he’s holding his finger over the speaker.

“We’re at the beach and we definitely forgot it was supposed to rain more tonight!” The sound of waves crashing against the shore was loud.

“Bokuto! Are we staying or what? It’s only drizzling right now!” Akaashi’s voice chimes in.

“Let’s stay!” He yells, then the video ends.

“Okay!” Akaashi yells back, he’s by a small cliffside that overlooks the water, they’d gone to this beach a lot before, the place Akaashi was standing was a popular place where they’d jump into the water.

“Hey, it’s your turn to ask the question you know!” Bokuto yells, his bare feet in the cold sand as he walks over to Akaashi, who was walking to him.

They met halfway, taking a seat further up the beach so that the high tide couldn't catch them by surprise.

Sighing, Akaashi began. “Question 17 What is your most treasured memory?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was a very dialogue-heavy chapter I hope you don't mind :). Anyway, let me know what you think of it.
> 
> Until next time,
> 
> Addison
> 
> Wordcount:2618


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